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GHP Special: The One Where Aurelia Has Hallie's Back

Hallie looks around frantically, but the high wind that seemed to come out of nowhere has whipped the dust up into a storm that stings her eyes. Desperate to find her team, she squints and yells. The sound is ripped from her throat.

There are definitely demons here—little beasts called Firks, with sharp teeth and horrid claws. They can run twice as fast as she can, and without a warrior to protect her, they’ll tear her to bits.

Time for a tactical retreat.

The howling wind makes it difficult to concentrate on the Warp, though, and she can’t “feel” any of her usual worlds. There’s a faint sensation tugging at her veins—a vibration, that she doesn’t recognize. She doesn’t know where that vibration might lead, but she can’t stay here; it’s too dangerous.

Mentally shrugging, and trying not to choke on the thick air, she quickly pulls open a mini dimension door and rolls through into the unknown.

*

Hearing a disturbance in the trees, Aurelia draws her double swords, the silver blades gleaming under the rosy, late-afternoon sunlight that mottles the forest floor. Rumor has it that a pack of bloodwolves is skulking about in the untamed wilderness here, just beyond the Capital’s enchanted perimeter. And since there were no full-fledged Defenders around to deal with it, the Triumvirate sent her
out instead, even though she’s still a Cadet.

She doesn’t mind. She’s better than all those cranky old people, anyway.

Listening closely, she narrows her eyes at a spot between two trees, searching for the beast.

*

Hallie thumps onto the ground in a very painful and clunky roll, then screeches as something scrapes across her back, ripping the fashionable tears in her black t-shirt even further. She clambers to her feet, batting at the three-foot-tall monkey-like creature now swinging on a piece of fabric. Trying desperately not to get cut by its slashing paws, she shakes it loose and stamps on it as hard as she can, reaching out to close the breach in reality at the same time, her limbs leaden with exhaustion.

Unfortunately, she misses the edge, and before she can try again, another Firk jumps through, leaping at her face and making her stumble backwards to get out of its way. Armed only with a short dagger, she crouches and bares her teeth. She has to get past it to close the rift, or this world could get overrun.

“C’mon then, you little bastard.”

*

When you lived in a world ruled by Enchanters, you saw a lot of crazy hoodoo. But nothing could have prepared Aurelia for the sight of a girl tumbling out of thin air … with two monsters in tow. The weird-looking portal thing the girl came through—a white circle crackling with energy and magic—is nothing like the golden transport spells Aurelia has seen in the past.

But she doesn’t have time to wonder about it. The girl looks like she’s in trouble. And that itty bitty knife of hers won’t do her a bit of good, especially when—apparently—no one taught her how to use it.

Luckily, monsters are Aurelia’s specialty, and her instincts spark to life at the sight of the beasts. Springing toward the portal, she slashes her swords through the air. The two odd-looking creatures are close enough together that she can reach both just by extending her arms, and the silver blades slice through their necks at the same time, sending their ugly heads tumbling to the ground.

TUNE IN FOR MORE NEXT WEEK!

There have always been warps—tears between realities—and they’ve always been a threat to humanity. Most people are blind to them. But Hallie’s eyes are opening. Now that she’s going to school at the Protectorate, she’s learning there’s more to life than fun and games.

The truth is, she’s just become part of Earth’s only shield against the monsters of the warps. Before, she didn’t think she was anything special. Now, yanked from her relatively normal life, she realizes that she doesn’t have a choice.

When the emergency alarm sounds, calling everyone in the school to arms, even the young and inexperienced are needed. As one of the warp weavers—capable of closing the warps and stopping the monsters—Hallie must now work to save lives. And she must do it in the most complicated situation she’s ever experienced. Because there are sea serpents in the Thames, and Hallie has to close the doors that are letting them in.

The problem is, they’re underwater, and they’re hungry.

Now everyone is relying on her, and Hallie must find a way to do her job—with a brand new partner—before it’s too late. Because if she fails she’ll die, along with everyone who’s depending on her.

Sinister plots. An underground rebellion. And a treacherous road filled with monsters and enemies unknown. It's been three months since Aurelia survived the International Challenge—an elite monster-fighting competition. And the Triumvirate has been keeping a close eye on her ever since … as if they expect her to cause them more trouble.

They’re right.

Now that she knows about the underground revolution—and the dark secrets of her own past—Aurelia is hell-bent on escaping the government’s watchful gaze and joining the rebels. Finally, she’s found a cause worth fighting for. A way for her kind, the Norms, to take back their freedom.

Then, when she overhears a Triumvirate official’s conversation, she learns that it’s even worse than she realized. The government knows about the rebels, and the rebellion. They’re searching for people who sympathize with the cause. And they’re coming after her next.

Suddenly the time for dreaming about the rebellion is over. Aurelia must make contact with the rebels and plot a quick escape … before the Triumvirate has a chance to capture her. But government forces and miles of monster-filled wilderness stand between her and the rebel headquarters, and dangers she never imagined lurk in the shadows.

Before she can fight for the freedom of her people, she must achieve her own—or die trying.